This is a non-comprehensive list of short stories with significant science fiction elements. Due to the large number of short stories this list is limited to stories that have done one of the following: Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ...

• Defined a sub-genre of science fiction.
• Founded an important science fiction series.
• Been the first to introduce a science fiction concept.
• Won major science fiction or general fiction awards.
• Topped a major bestseller list.
• Been important to the field of science fiction in another way.

Intelligent animals

Genius of the Species (1956) by R. Brentor 

First use of technology to induce intelligence in cats

Sheena 5 (2000) by Stephen Baxter 

About a genetically modified squid

Genius of the Species is a short story by Reginald Bretnor (first published with the author name R. Bretnor), which originally appeared in the anthology 9 Tales of Space and Time edited by Raymond Healy. ...

Artificial Worlds

see also Big Dumb Object

Construction Shack (1973) by Clifford D. Simak 

Pluto's status as a planet changes on the discovery it's artificial. When Simak wrote the story Pluto was still considered a planet by astronomers and the public.

A term probably coined by reviewer Roz Kaveney[1] and used in discussing science fiction, a Big Dumb Object (BDO) is a mysterious artifact (usually of extraterrestrial or otherwise unknown origin) in a story which generates an intense sense of wonder just by being there; to a certain extent, the... Clifford Donald Simak ( August 3, 1904 - April 25, 1988) was an American science fiction author. ... Adjectives: Plutonian Atmosphere Surface pressure: 0. ...

Non 3-Dimensional Space

Flatland (1884) by Edwin A. Abbott

A classic tale of a two-dimensional being meeting 'A Sphere'

“ — And He Built a Crooked House — ” (1941) by Robert A. Heinlein

Story of a house that extends into the fourth dimension, much to the puzzlement of its occupants.

Tangents (1986) by Greg Bear

Story of a mathematician encountering and discussing beings living in four spatial dimensions.

For various uses of the term Flatlander, see Flatlander (disambiguation) Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions is a 1884 novella by Edwin Abbott Abbott, still popular among mathematics and computer science students, and considered useful reading for people studying topics such as the concept of other dimensions. ... Edwin Abbott Abbott (December 20, 1838 - 1926), English schoolmaster and theologian, is best known as the author of the mathematical satire Flatland (1884). ... Robert Anson Heinlein (July 7, 1907 – May 8, 1988) was one of the most popular, influential, and controversial authors of hard science fiction. ... Hackers (ISBN 0-441-00375-3) is an anthology of short stories edited by Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois. ... Gregory Dale Bear (born August 20, 1951) is a science fiction author. ...

Robot Stories

Robbie (1939) by Isaac Asimov 

First Robot story by Isaac Asimov, published in the September 1940 issue of Super Science Stories.

I, Robot (1942) by Isaac Asimov 

First story to list the Three Laws of Robotics, published in the March 1942 issue of Astounding.

The Quest for St. Aquin (1951) by Anthony Boucher

First, and possibly only, time a robot is portrayed as canonized theologian

For other uses, see robot (disambiguation). ... Robbie (1940) is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. ... Isaac Asimov (January 2?, 1920?[1] – April 6, 1992), IPA: , originally Исаак Озимов but now transcribed into Russian as Айзек Азимов) was a Russian-born American Jewish author and professor of biochemistry, a highly successful and exceptionally prolific writer best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. ... Super Science Stories was a pulp science fiction magazine that was initially printed by Popular Publications between May 1940 and May 1943. ... I, Robot is a collection of nine English language science fiction short stories by Isaac Asimov, first published by Gnome Press in 1950 in an edition of 5,000 copies. ... Isaac Asimov (January 2?, 1920?[1] – April 6, 1992), IPA: , originally Исаак Озимов but now transcribed into Russian as Айзек Азимов) was a Russian-born American Jewish author and professor of biochemistry, a highly successful and exceptionally prolific writer best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. ... This cover of I, Robot illustrates the story Runaround, the first to list all Three Laws of Robotics. ... Astounding Stories was a seminal science fiction magazine founded in 1930. ... The Quest for Saint Aquin is a science fiction short story written by Anthony Boucher in 1951 and featured in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame Volume One, 1929-1964. ... Anthony Boucher (August 21, 1911 - April 29, 1968) [1] was an American science fiction editor and writer of mystery novels and short stories. ... This article discusses the process of declaring saints. ... Theology is literally rational discourse concerning God (Greek θεος, theos, God, + λογος, logos, rational discourse). By extension, it also refers to the study of other religious topics. ...

Time Travel

The Chronic Argonauts (1895) by H.G. Wells

Probably the very first significant time travel story ever.

Vintage Season (1946) by C. L. Moore

Time-travelling tourists from the future seen from a perspective contemporary to the writer's era.

A Sound of Thunder (1952) by Ray Bradbury

This story revolves around a business called Time Safari, Inc. Time Safari promises to take people back in time so they can hunt prehistoric animals, such as Tyrannosaurus rex. In order to avoid a time paradox, they are very careful to leave history undisturbed on the principle that even the slightest change can cause major changes in the future.

" — All You Zombies — " (1959) by Robert A. Heinlein

A story featuring a neatly tangled set of time travel paradoxes.

Hawksbill Station (1968) by Robert Silverberg

The Station in the title is a prison colony created in the pre-Cambrian era by means of a time machine invented by an eponymous Dr. Hawksbill.

A Little Something For Us Tempunauts 1975 by Philip K. Dick

US time travellers, tempunauts, find that instead of travelling 100 years into the future, they have gone merely a few days.

Fire Watch (1982) by Connie Willis

The story of a time-travelling "historian" who goes back to The Blitz in London. He's annoyed by this as he had spent years preparing to travel with St. Paul and gets sent to St. Paul's Cathedral, in London, instead. Winner of the 1983 Hugo Award and a Nebula Award.

Ripples in the Dirac Sea (1988) by Geoffrey A. Landis

The affecting story of a scientist seesawing inescapably through time, this brilliant work effectively deconstructs most time-travel stories that came before. Winner of the 1989 Nebula Award for best short story.

Zapped One day Sunny and his friend Nelson were trying to write a short story for English whilst listening to their favorite band D12. ... H. G. Wells at the door of his house at Sandgate Herbert George Wells (September 21, 1866 - August 13, 1946) was an English writer best known for his science fiction novels such as The War of the Worlds and The Time Machine. ... Dust jacket illustration for Judgment Night by C. L. Moore, published in 1952 by Gnome Press. ... “A Sound of Thunder” is a science fiction short story by Ray Bradbury, first published in Collier’s magazine in 1952. ... Ray Douglas Bradbury (born August 22, 1920) is an American literary, fantasy, horror, science fiction, and mystery writer best known for The Martian Chronicles, a 1950 book which has been described both as a short story collection and a novel, and his 1953 dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Robert Anson Heinlein (July 7, 1907 – May 8, 1988) was one of the most popular, influential, and controversial authors of hard science fiction. ... Hawksbill Station is a science fiction novel written by Robert Silverberg. ... At the 63rd World Science Fiction Convention in Glasgow, August 2005 Robert Silverberg (January 15, 1935, Brooklyn, New York) is a prolific American author best known for writing science fiction, a multiple winner of both the Hugo and Nebula Awards. ... A Little Something For Us Tempunauts is a science fiction short story by Philip K. Dick. ... Philip Kindred Dick (December 16, 1928 – March 2, 1982) was an American writer, mostly known for his works of science fiction. ... Fire Watch is a 1984 book of short stories by Connie Willis that touches on time travel, atomic war, the end of the world, and cornball humour, The title story, Fire Watch, is about a time-travelling historian who goes back to The Blitz in London. ... Connie Willis at Clarion West, 1998 Constance Elaine Trimmer Willis (born 31 December 1945) is an American science fiction writer. ... The 2005 Hugo Award with base designed by Deb Kosiba. ... The Nebula is an award given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), for the best science fiction/fantasy fiction published in the United States during the two previous years (see rolling eligibility below). ... Geoffrey A. Landis emerged in the late 1980s as one of the foremost scientist-writers in the science fiction genre. ... The Nebula is an award given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), for the best science fiction/fantasy fiction published in the United States during the two previous years (see rolling eligibility below). ...

Cyberpunk

True Names (1981) by Vernor Vinge 

One of the first stories to flesh out the idea of cyberspace.

Burning Chrome (1982) by William Gibson

A story of computer crackers.

"(Learning About) Machine Sex" (1988) by Candas Jane Dorsey

A young female hacker invents "wet-ware", which is software and hardware that can plug into the human body. Sexual elements are important as per title.

(Note: This list may be more appropriate as a list of Significant Science Fiction Themes) Berlins Sony Center reflects the global reach of a Japanese corporation. ... True Names was the science fiction novella which brought Vernor Vinge to prominence in 1981. ... Vernor Steffen Vinge (IPA: ) (born February 10, 1944) is a mathematician, computer scientist and science fiction author who is best known for his Hugo award-winning novels A Fire Upon the Deep and A Deepness in the Sky, as well as for his 1993 essay The Technological Singularity, in which... Hackers (ISBN 0-441-00375-3) is an anthology of short stories edited by Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois. ... There are a number of people who have been (or are) named William Gibson. ... Hackers (ISBN 0-441-00375-3) is an anthology of short stories edited by Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois. ... Candas Jane Dorsey (born November 16, Canadian poet and science fiction novelist who lives in Edmonton, Alberta. ...

Award winning short stories

The two main awards given in American science fiction are the Hugos and the Nebulas. Complete lists of the short stories that won these awards are at Hugo Award for Best Short Story and Nebula Award for Best Short Story. The 2005 Hugo Award with base designed by Deb Kosiba. ... The Nebula is an award given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), for the best science fiction/fantasy fiction published in the United States during the two previous years (see rolling eligibility below). ... The Hugo Awards are given annually for the best science fiction or fantasy works. ... Winners of the Nebula Award for Best Short Story. ...